I know that I shouldn't be upset that you are leaving, I should be happy because of the three years I got to spend in your classroom. I should be thankful for the endless encouragement that you gave me. And I am, I'm thankful for every moment that I spent in that classroom. So it's with happy tears that I tell you this:

I guess I should first start by saying how proud of you I am. I know that may sound silly coming from one of your student but I really am. You're the happiest person I've ever met; just walking into your classroom every day made me smile. But I didn't think that you'd be leaving so soon. I was preparing my goodbyes for the day I graduate, when I'm wearing that cap and gown, not the week before senior year.

You weren't just some teacher to me. I knew that no matter what, I could come to you and talk to you about anything. I knew that I could pour my heart into every assignment I handed in and no matter how many other essays you had to grade, you'd write a little comment at the end and it wasn't just trivial. You meant every word on every assignment. And every assignment we would hear the same speech, you'd tell every student that if they needed help reading your handwriting to just ask. And every time, I would smile to myself. After three years in your classroom I knew how to read that script.

There's no words that I could write to thank you for those three years in your classroom, and no amount of "Thank You"'s would explain how happy I was to walk into your classroom every day. I can tell you this though, the first time I walked into that I felt at peace, but I couldn't quite explain why. And every time I entered it from that day on, I felt the same peace.

You were more than just a teacher. You'd talk with us about Leonardo DiCaprio and how hot he was, you'd show us pictures of your wedding dress and we'd gossip from the second you'd stop teaching until the second the bell rang. You doubled as a friend, and in a way almost an older sister. Every day I would walk in and you would have the cutest outfits on, we'd talk about your shoes and where you got them or maybe you'd ask about a new haircut one of the girls got or a new way we were styling our hair. More than a good student, you made me feel like a good person. You made me feel important.

You taught me more than how to format an essay or how to analyze the word choice, you taught me how to smile and be creative and to love life. You taught me to be confident in myself and by not handing out those A's easily (which frustrated me at first), you taught me that you can always do better and to always strive for your best.

And it wasn't just the way you taught, it was the way you genuinely believed in each and every one of your students. And I needed that, sometimes more than you could ever know.

So I just wanted to say thank you. I walked into your classroom as a scared 14 year who loved writing but doubted herself, and even though it was premature, I walked out of your classroom knowing exactly what I wanted to do. Thank you for inspiring me to be a teacher but most of all thank you for being the best teacher I've ever had. You were the first teacher to treat me like more than just another student.

My life has been better because you were in it and I can't wait until the day I can tell my students about you.